Coq au Vin Pot Pie

This post is sponsored by Pyrex, a brand I love and use often in the kitchen when cooking.

The weather in southern Florida has been surprisingly chilly lately. So of course I took advantage of the weather to make a delicious and comforting pot pie. For a festive touch, I made my pie dough in Christmas tree shapes because tis' the season. I just love this time of year, don't you? I'll take any excuse to give everything and anything a holiday touch.

When I was thinking of making a pot pie, my hubby mentioned he was thinking of a Coq au Vin, and that was when I thought, why not turn the Coq au Vin into a pot pie. My insistence on making a pot pie was because I had leftover pie dough from Thanksgiving that was in the freezer, and well since I love to bake this time of year, I was pretty stuck on making a pot pie. The other reason was that I had never prior to this made a pot pie in my life. So on one chilly day, I made my very first pot pie with a French twist -- a Coq au Vin Pot Pie.

This was definitely a holiday first and a recipe that will become a tradition for years to come. I love it when we find a recipe that the entire family loves. And you could get as creative as you want with your pie crust. Instead of going with the traditional round crust, little Christmas trees added a pretty holiday pattern.

Of course, Christmas music was playing while I put this delicious meal together. With our tree decorated in the background, I definitely felt all of the Christmas feels.

This meal certainly brought the family together for dinner. And we'll be making it again soon I'm sure.

Coq au Vin Pot Pie

• 3 lb chicken parts
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 3 T unsalted butter, divided
• 4 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped (2 cups)
• 2 T finely chopped shallot
• 4 medium carrots, halved diagonally
• 1 cup dry white wine (preferably Alsatian Riesling)
• 1 1/2 lb small red potatoes, diced
• 1 container of white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 T finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
• fresh lemon juice, to taste {about half lemon}
• 1 cup chicken stock

1. Preheat oven to 350F with rack in the middle.
2. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with 1 t salt and a rounded 3/4 t pepper. Heat oil with 1 T butter in a wide 3 1/2 – 5 quart heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then brown chicken in 2 batches, turning once, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
3. Meanwhile, finely cut your leeks. Wash and pat dry.
4. Cook leeks, shallots, and 1/4 t salt in the remaining 2 T butter, covered, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until leeks are pale and golden, 5-7 minutes. Add chicken, skin sides up (with juices from plate), carrots and wine and boil until liquid is reduced by half, 3-4 minutes.
5. Cover pot and braise chicken in oven until cooked through, 20-25 minutes.
6. While chicken braises, peel potatoes, then generously cover with well-salted cold water in a 2-3 qt saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer until just tender. Drain in a colander, then return to saucepan. Add thyme and tarragon.
7. Remove the chicken from pot. When cool, remove the skin and shred the chicken. Add to pot.
8. In a separate pan, saute the mushrooms until tender.
9. Stir creme fraiche into chicken mixture. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice, then add potatoes and mushrooms.
10. Pour into your Pyrex pie dish and top with homemade pie dough {recipe follows}.
11. Using a fork, poke the crust a few times.
12. Using an egg wash, brush it over the crust so that it browns well.
13. Bake for about 25 minutes until the crust browns.

Homemade Pie Dough{makes enough for two double-crust pies}

• 630 grams unbleached all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur; about 5 cups)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 11 ounces very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 6 ounces very cold vegetable shortening, cut into chunks
• About 1/2 cup ice water

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place flour and salt and blend on low speed.
2. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the flour looks crumbly.
3. Add the chunks of shortening and continue to mix on low speed.
4. When clumps begin forming, and the dough holds together when you press some between your fingers, slowly pour the water in while the mixer is on low speed. Mix just until incorporated.
5. Flour a work area and turn the dough out. Gather it into a ball. Cut it into 4 equal parts. Weigh them out to get even pieces, if you have a kitchen scale.
6. Gently form each piece into a flat round disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
7. Refrigerate at least two hours. Dough can be kept in the refrigerator for 5 days, or frozen for one month. Store in zipper freezer bags.